Suzie Costello's daughter
by CeriseHood5050
Summary: My name is Shyla Costello, and my story began about five years ago when I joined Torchwood. Rated T just in case.
1. Prologue

Five Years Earlier…  
"Who are you and what are you doing in my flat?" Mum demanded. The man in the grey military coat turned to face us. It was like he stepped out of a history book.  
"This device you have here, it's in very good condition." He said, picking it up. I looked at Mum, confused.  
"Who is he?"  
"I have no idea." Mum glared at him. "I do not wish to ask you again. Who are you?"  
"Captain Jack Harkness." Jack answered. "I'm recruiting."  
"Recruiting for what?" Mum demanded.  
"Why would I tell you until you proved me that you two are up for the job?"  
"Shyla, go and get some rest." Mum told me. "You got a school trip tomorrow."  
"Where are you going, Shyla?" Jack asked.

"I'm going to the visitors centre in Cardiff to see Macbeth."  
"But, you look too young to be seeing things like Macbeth!" Jack exclaimed. "How old are you, nine?"  
"Yes, I'm nine."  
"Shyla, bed, please." When Mum talked in that voice, I knew that she was being very serious.

When I was ready for bed, Mum came through. "Sorry about that." She said. "I just had to get him out of the flat."  
"Who was he?"  
"I have no idea. Come on, Shyla. Settle down, please. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow."

The next day, the coach drew to a stop outside the visitors centre by the water tower. "Remember," my teacher, Mr White, began. "You are representing the school, so be on your best behaviour." Beside me, Callum Stormarc smiled. Knowing him, he thought about pulling a few pranks. My other best friend, Megan Smith, looked angelic. She was going to be as good as gold.

As we trooped into the theatre, I noticed something odd about the visitors centre. It seemed to be a lot darker than I remembered. The whispering began. "Quiet!" Mr White yelled. He never has a quiet voice, so when he told off Callum for setting off a stink bomb a few days earlier, we heard every word.

As I was getting into the gist of the play, instead of the normal actor for Macbeth walking on, a strange creature raced on in his place. Looking closer, I noticed that it was not a creature you would find on Earth. I stayed calm, knowing that would be the best thing to do, rather than panicking like most of my other classmates. Callum and Megan joined me as we walked down to the stage, where the creature was terrorizing the actors. "Stop!" I yelled. The creature looked at me. It seemed angry. "Can you talk?" I asked.

"Everyone, get out!" Captain Jack just burst in. Everyone ran out except me. I ran onstage and picked up a prop to defend myself with. It was at that point Mum ran in. I hit the creature on the head and it turned to me, snarling. Most normal nine year old girls would run away screaming, but not me. I wasn't normally scared, even at that age. I held the prop up, prepared to strike again. Captain Jack then indicated for Mum to hit him over the head. Mum grabbed another prop and hit the creature over the head, knocking it out. Captain Jack then covered its head so that no one could see it.

We helped him towards a car, which Mum identified as a SUV. We shoved the creature in, when Jack said something startling. "Remember when we met yesterday, I said I was recruiting. It would be helpful if you two were on my team."  
"So, is this what you do?" Mum asked. "You catch aliens?"  
"I'll tell you both more when we get to your new workplace."  
"Workplace?!" I cried. "But I'm still nine! I have to go to school."  
"I got it worked out. Just drop out of school and say that you are being home tutored."  
"But my friends-"  
"Can they keep secrets?"  
"Yes."  
"Then you can tell them what you do."

Captain Jack drove us to a small tourist centre close by. It was the Roald Dahl plass. He led us in. He pushed a button that was hidden under the desk and went back to get the creature and then he led us through into what he called the hub. "It's amazing." I breathed.  
"Well, if I'm going to recruit you two, I'll need your names."  
"I'm Suzie Costello." Mum said.  
"And I'm guessing that you're Shyla Costello?"  
"Yes, that's right." I said.  
"Well, Suzie, Shyla, welcome to Torchwood."

That was how everything changed, for the first time.


	2. Everything Changes

Everything Changes

"Jack, there's been another murder." Toshiko reported. We walked over to the SUV and climbed in. Jack was driving. I sat between Mum and Tosh.  
"Who's Torchwood?" A policewoman asked.  
"Special ops or something." A man told her.  
"But they're not allowed in there. They could contaminate the evidence and all sorts."  
"Don't ask me. There's no procedure any more. It's a disgrace."

I knelt by Mum as she prepared the resurrection gauntlet. As the youngest member of Torchwood, I wasn't really allowed to take part in catching aliens, despite catching a weevil or two **ON MY OWN**. I knew that my friends, Callum and Megan, would find this more interesting than the homework they were stuck doing.

"There you go." My boss, Captain Jack Harkness said. "I can taste it. Oestrogen. Definitely Oestrogen. You take the pill, flush it away, it enters the water cycle, feminises the fish. It goes all the way up into the sky and then falls all the way back down onto me. Contraceptives in the rain. I love this planet. Still, at least I won't get pregnant. Never doing that again." By this time, Mum had the resurrection gauntlet on and was trying to feel something. "Suzie, how's it going?"  
"Nothing yet." Mum answered. "It's got to connect. I've just got to feel it."  
"Then hurry up and feel it." Owen snapped. "I don't even know what you're talking about."  
"Mum can't just flick a switch." I argued.  
"Shyla's right, it's more like access. It grants me access."  
"Whatever that means." Owen muttered.  
"It's like… oh! Oh! Oh!" The resurrection gauntlet glowed and began to move.  
"Positions!" Jack ordered. Owen and Tosh knelt either side of the dead man, Mum knelt by his head, while Jack stood in front of him. I stood by Tosh, who felt like a second mum to me. Mum placed her hand with the resurrection gauntlet underneath the man's head. The rain stopped and the man came back to life.

"I was… I was… I was…" He began. "Oh my God. I was going home."  
"Listen to me." Tosh said. "We've only got two minutes so it's important that you listen, okay?"  
"Who are you?"  
"Trust me. You're dead."  
"How am I dead?"  
"You were stabbed." Owen answered.  
"But I'm not dead, I can see you."  
"We've brought you back, but we haven't got long." Tosh explained. "I'm sorry, but you've got to concentrate."  
"Who did this to you?" I asked. "What did you see?"  
"Why am I dead?"  
"Who attacked you?"  
"I don't wanna be dead."  
"Sixty seconds." Mum warned us.  
"You've got to think." I said. "Just focus on me. What was the last thing you saw?"  
"I didn't see any… I don't know."  
"Who killed you? Did you see them?"  
"I don't know. There was something behind me."  
"Police said one stab wound in the back." Owen answered.  
"So you didn't see anything?"  
"No. What happens now?"  
"Thirty seconds." Mum said.  
"But he didn't see anyone." Tosh argued.  
"Don't waste it."  
"What else do I say?" Tosh asked.  
"What's your name?" Jack asked.  
"John. John Tucker."  
"Well, John. Not long now."  
"Who are you?"  
"Captain Jack Harkness. Tell me, what was it like when you died? What did you see? John, tell me what you saw."  
"Ten seconds." Mum said.  
"Nothing. I saw nothing. Oh, my god. There's nothing." Once again, John Tucker died and the rain began to fall again.

"I said it was stupid telling him he was dead." Owen said.  
"Well, you try it." Tosh argued.  
"Trust me! Like that's ever gonna work."  
"Told the last corpse he was injured." I began. "He wasted the whole two minutes screaming for an ambulance. Maybe there's no right way of doing it." Captain Jack looked up.  
"What do you think?" I looked up, but there was no one there.

That night, I struggled to get to sleep. It seemed like Mum was struggling as well. She was sitting at her computer when I went through, writing a document for Torchwood. She saw me. "You should get some sleep." She said.  
"I can't sleep."  
"It's understandable. Tosh will be setting you some work to do tomorrow."

There was one good thing about being with Torchwood. No homework.

The next day, Torchwood had to leave me in the Hub. They said something about a Weevil in a hospital. I carried on with my work, hoping that they would all be back soon.

"You all right?" Captain Jack asked me once they came down in the invisible lift.  
"Yes, I'm fine."  
"You managed to do the work I set you?" Tosh asked.  
"Most of it. There's something I'm stuck on." I wasn't doing normal school work. You see, once you sign up for Torchwood, you sign up for life. I was trying to translate a message that fell out of the rift. I figured most of it out. It seemed to be a mother writing to her husband during a war.

A few hours later, there was the sound of the cog door opening. We weren't expecting any visitors, and Callum and Megan were already here. Mum seemed to be working on something, so I didn't get too close. Jack returned to his office. Tosh and Owen were trying to keep as quiet as possible. Suddenly, Tosh laughed. "I can't do this." Owen exclaimed. "I'm sorry. I'm rubbish. I give up."  
"He set me off." Tosh pointed at Owen.  
"Well, that lasted 0.2 seconds." Mum said.  
"Hmm. She's actually carrying pizza." Owen said.  
"Come on." Captain Jack said. "She was going to say, 'Here's your pizza,' and I was going to say 'How much?' And she says 'Oh, whatever, 20 quid,' and I say, 'Oh, I don't have any money'. I was working on a punch line. I'd have got there, but it would have been good."  
"There's your pizza. I think I'd better go."  
"I think we've gone past that stage."

"You've must have been freezing out there." I said. "How long were you walking round? Three hours?"  
"You could see me?"  
"Mmm-hmm." Mum walked over to me.  
"And before we go any further, who the hell orders pizza under the name of Torchwood?" Captain Jack asked.  
"Uh, yeah, that would be me. Sorry, I'm a twat."

"That man at the hospital," the woman began. "That porter. What happened to him? That was real, wasn't it? He was attacked."  
"He's dead." Captain Jack answered.  
"But there's no one gone missing."  
"We took the body, retrospectively changed the work rota, planted a false witness who saw him leaving the hospital, giving him an alibi for the next 48 hours, so when his body's pulled out of the docks next Tuesday night, he's only been missing for three days." Tosh explained.  
"He was murdered."  
"Yeah."  
"And you covered it up."  
"it's my job." Tosh returned to her computer.

"And that other man, John Tucker? Last night in the alleyway, I saw you."  
"And what did you see?" I asked.  
"You revived him."  
"No. What did you see?"  
"You resuscitated him."  
"No. What did you see?"  
"You brought him back to life."  
"Yeah."

"Who are you, all of you?"  
"We're Torchwood." Captain Jack answered.  
"What's Torchwood?"  
"This is Torchwood. All around you."  
"You allow children to be part of Torchwood?"  
"Only if they can be reliable."  
"And what happens to me?"  
"Oh."  
"I'm police. Constable Gwen Cooper. You can't do anything."  
"Right then, PC Cooper. DO you want to come and see?"  
"See what?"  
"You saw the murder… come and see the murderer." Captain Jack led her to the cells.

There was a screech from above. Gwen gasped. We all looked up to see Myfanwy circling the underground part of the water tower. "What was that?" Gwen asked.  
"Pterodactyl." Callum answered.  
"Are you coming?" Captain Jack asked her.

As Captain Jack and Gwen were down in the cells with the Weevil, I was talking to Tosh about the letter I was able to translate. Soon, they were back up.  
"Owen Harper, Gwen Cooper."  
"Dr Owen Harper, thank you."  
"Toshiko Sato, computer genius. Suzie Costello, she's second in command. Shyla Costello helps us with translating things and sometimes we allow her to come with us on quests. Those two are her friends, Callum Stormarc and Megan Smith." And this is Ianto Jones. Ianto cleans up after us and gets us everywhere on time."  
"I try my best."  
"And he looks good in a suit."  
"Careful. That's harassment, sir."  
"But why are you telling me their names? I'm not supposed to know, am I? This is classified, isn't it?"  
"Way beyond classified." I said.  
"Then Captain Jack shouldn't be telling me. What are you gonna do to me?"  
"What do you imagine?"  
"Well, I've seen too much. Your names and everything, and the Weevil and…You can dump him out in the water and lie about his death."  
"Okay, Tosh, finish that calibration tomorrow morning. Owen, first thing, get a hold of Chandler and Bell, because I think they're lying. Ianto, if he needs backup, then you'd better be on standby. Suzie, I know it's a pain, but I need the costing on the glove research. Shyla, make sure that you finish the research on Myfanwy tomorrow. And as for you, you're coming with me. This way."  
"I'm getting tired of following you."  
"No, you're not. And you never will."

Captain Jack stepped on the invisible lift. I remember when I first stepped on it. It was magical. "Stand on here. Come on. Next to me."  
"Goodnight." Tosh called.  
"Later!" Owen yelled.  
"We'll see you after school tomorrow!" Callum and Megan chorused as they left. I packed up my equipment.  
"Now, you came in through the front door. Let's take the scenic route." As the lift went up, myself and Mum waved goodbye. Captain Jack waved back.

At home, I brought out my research and carried on. Mum unzipped her bag and brought out the resurrection gauntlet. "Mum, you're not supposed to have that." I said.  
"Does it look like I'd obey the rules?" I remained silent and carried on with my work before I went to bed.

As I lay in bed, I thought about the day. Was Gwen Cooper joining Torchwood? She seemed like a nice enough woman, but by Captain Jack's tone, she wasn't. Mum came in to settle me down.

The next day, nothing much happened. Unfortunately, Callum and Megan couldn't come. They said they had to sort out some family stuff. I had a bit of a late night. "Shyla, are you all right?" Tosh asked.  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
"Why don't you come back to my place? You'd be able to have some rest."  
"Thank you."

I began to worry about Mum that night. Then, I began to dream.

 _Gwen was outside Torchwood. She was just walking. But there was someone else, hiding in the shadows. She slowly came into the light. It was Mum. She turned to face Gwen. "Hello, again. You were right. You told Jack we should liaise with the police. I was the only one who bothered so… I was the only one who saw the report." She opened her bag and pulled out a three bladed knife. "They got a good likeness."  
"I'm arresting you for… How do I know you?"  
"I thought you might have seen it, and that can trip the amnesia, just one specific image if you're clever. He said you were good. Anyway… it's not much good now, I can't really… You were gonna put up a fight, so I've got…" Mum began to rummage in her bag, looking for something. "Erm… hold on. Sorry." She then pulled a gun out and put her bag down. "There, that's better."  
"Put it down."  
"You had to come back."  
"Put down the gun."  
"You're the only one that can make the link. Well, the only one in public. Torchwood's gonna find out by morning, but I'll be gone. I don't know where. Far away. What am I gonna do? I loved this job. I really loved it." Mum was getting teary. "And now I've got to run. How can you do any other job after this one?"  
"Please, put down the gun."  
"'Cause it gets inside you. You do this job long enough and you end up thinking… __**How come we get all the Weevils and bollocks?**_ _Is that what alien life is? Filth? But maybe there's better stuff out there. Brilliant stuff. Beautiful stuff. Just, they don't come here. This planet's so dirty, that's all we get."  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
"I wish I could forget."  
"Why did you kill those people?"  
"For the glove."  
"Just…Just stay where you are."  
"I needed the bodies. That's how it works. Violent death. It was so easy. To bring them by, I just position myself behind the head so they never see me twice."  
"You killed three people."  
"It was the only way. The more I use the glove, the more I control it."  
"I don't understand. What glove? Where have I seen you before?" _

I woke up, sweating. I slipped on some clothes, unlocked the door without waking Tosh and raced down to the Bay. If what I saw was true, then Gwen would be in trouble.

"And that's why the perception filter isn't gonna work on me." There was a gunshot and I kept running.  
"What?" Gwen asked. "Who is he? Where did he come from? What have you done?" Mum cocked the gun.  
"Mum, stop!" I yelled.  
"Shyla?"  
"Mum, just listen to me. Don't do this."  
"Please, don't." Gwen said.  
"I can't let you go." Mum said.  
"Please."  
"I've got to. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I've got to. I've got to. I've got to."

That was when Captain Jack got up. "Put down the gun. Suzie, it's over. Now, come with me." He held his hand out. She turned to me.  
"Shyla, I'm sorry I can't be there for you. But you're going to be amazing. Just promise me that. No matter what happens to me, you'll be safe."  
"I promise."  
"Captain, make sure Shyla's looked after properly."  
"Don't be daft, Suzie. You'll be looking after her."  
Mum raised the gun so it was under her head. She let the trigger go. She was lying on the ground. "Mum?" I whispered. Tears spilt down my cheeks.

"I remember." Gwen said. "I remember."

That morning, Captain Jack called me into his office. "Do you want to see her one last time?"  
"More than anything." He picked up the resurrection gauntlet.  
"Come on, Shyla." I followed him.

He placed the glove on. "Remember, we won't have long. You'll only have about thirty seconds to say your goodbyes. Do you understand?" I nodded, sadly. Jack placed his hand on Mum's head. 

Mum's eyes fluttered open. "Shyla." She whispered.  
"Mum. I've come to say goodbye."  
"I understand. I'm sorry to leave you this way. But you'll be amazing. Make me proud."  
"I will. Thank you for being my Mum. I couldn't have wished for a better one." Mum smiled. She then closed her eyes.  
"Shyla, I'm sorry."  
"Don't be. She's the best Mum I could've had."  
"Now the question is, who's going to look after you? Also, the resurrection gauntlet will work differently for you. Suzie had done a research project we discovered. It says that her daughter can use the glove on someone more than once. You'll be able to talk to her whenever you want."  
"Thank you."

Up in Jack's office, he locked away the knife and gave me the resurrection gauntlet. Owen and Toshiko had to hand over the alien artefacts they had taken from the hub. I didn't tell them about Jack's resurrection. Nor did Gwen.

"Right, who wants to look after Shyla?" Captain Jack asked.  
"She shouldn't come with me." Owen said. "I drink a bit too much."  
"Ianto?"  
"I don't really know how to look after children."  
"Toshiko? Gwen?"  
"I'll look after her." Toshiko answered.  
"And if anything happens to Tosh, then, Gwen, will you be able to take care of her?"  
"Sure. I'm sure Rhys won't mind."  
"Who's Rhys?" I asked.  
"My boyfriend." Gwen explained.


	3. Day 1

Day 1

Tosh had detected something in the sky. It seemed to be a meteor. "Come on." Captain Jack said. "Let's get going. We'll pick Gwen up while we're at it. Shyla, text Gwen. We need her." I texted her one word: Torchwood.

Jack and Gwen climbed into the SUV and we sped off. "Simple locate-and-cleanup operation." Jack told us. "Find that meteorite before anyone else gets their hands on it. Good to see you, by the way." Gwen smiled. Computers opened up in front of us, which startled Gwen. "Tosh, Shyla, have either of you found it yet?" Owen asked.  
"You got enough kit?" Gwen asked.  
"Basic tracking and surveillance. The crash site." Tosh was able to locate it. "With this, we can tap into CCTV networks and databases…"  
"Is this CRIMINT?" Gwen asked. "This is the police computer system. You shouldn't have this."  
"Might want to stop saying 'you' and start saying 'we'." I said. "You're one of the team now."

"Crash site is 100 metres ahead." Tosh informed us.  
"The amateurs got here first." Owen said.  
"Shyla, stay with us." Jack ordered. Tosh took my hand.  
"All right, usual formation." Jack said.  
"What's the usual formation?" Gwen asked.  
"Varies." I answered as we walked into the site.  
"How can a usual formation vary?" Gwen went back to get something.

Tosh led us to the crash site. "What do we know?" Captain Jack asked.  
"Bog-standard space debris." Owen answered. "That's a technical term."  
"Yeah, thanks."  
"So take all the readings and let's get out of here." I said. Owen nodded and opened a tool box. Everyone except myself and Gwen got to work. Gwen didn't know what was going on, and I was trying to think about the translation I would have been doing had Owen not convinced me to come along.  
"Make yourself useful, sweetheart." Owen told Gwen. "Pass us the big chisel from the toolbox."  
"Not 'sweetheart'. Gwen. One syllable. I'm sure you can manage that."  
"Not Sweet Cheeks? Freckles? New Girl?" Gwen bent down and picked up the chisel.  
"It's a shame your tool's not big enough for the job, darling. Catch." She threw the chisel. The chisel landed straight in the meteorite. Jack threw the gas masks to us and I put mine on. A strange purple-blueish gas left the meteorite and zoomed up into the atmosphere. We were all looking at Gwen.

"I'm so sorry." Gwen said.  
"Seriously, stop saying that." Captain Jack said.  
"But I am. I mean, really…I mean really, really sorry. I can't believe it."  
"Didn't they teach you health and safety in the police?"  
"You two chuck tools at each other, so I…"  
"We didn't miss." Owen said.  
"I'll sort it. Whatever's happened, I'll deal with it. What do you think has happened? I mean, it was just gas, wasn't it?" Gwen asked, confused. "Can't be too bad. Can it?"  
"Right, because gas never did anyone harm." I said as I walked away.  
"On the plus side, we've got good evidence. Relatively undamaged." Captain Jack said.

I placed the resurrection gauntlet on and placed it on Mum's head. Her eyes opened. "Hello Shyla. How long has it been?"  
"A day."  
"Just a day? It felt like forever. Has anything interesting happened?"  
"Gwen joined Torchwood. It was her first day today. And she let an alien gas run round."  
"Seriously?"  
"Yep. I'm now also living with Tosh, so if anything happens to her, I would be living with Gwen."  
"Are you looking forward to it?"  
"What, living with Gwen? I'm not entirely keen on that. But Tosh is great."  
"I'm glad to hear it. Is she looking after you well?"  
"Yes, she is. Anyway, I hope to talk to you soon."  
"I'll keep waiting for our next conversation." Suzie smiled and closed her eyes. I took the resurrection gauntlet off, zipped the bag up again. I pushed the tray into the locker.

"This might help." Ianto said as I walked through. "Nightclub death, been phoned into 999. Circumstances sound a little unusual. Might be connected."

We soon arrived at the nightclub. "Torchwood." Captain Jack said as we raced in. Gwen hung back to talk to one of the policemen.  
"This is all that's left?" Gwen asked. We looked at the pile of dust. The man nodded.  
"How is that possible?"  
"The question is, how did you know this used to be a body?" I asked. The man said that he saw it on the CCTV.  
"Bit of a shock, I can tell you."  
"We need to see that CCTV." Jack said.

When we went in there, Toshiko covered my eyes. "Hey!" I said, trying in vain to remove them.  
"I'm sorry, Shyla, but this is inappropriate for you." Tosh said.  
"Wow." Captain Jack said when the CCTV stopped.  
"My God!" Tosh said.  
"He just…" Gwen began.  
"Came and went." Captain Jack said. Owen snickered.  
"Now that's how I'd like to go."  
"I'm sure we can arrange it." Tosh replied.  
"How can that be?" The man asked. "It doesn't make any sense. It's not possible."  
"Do you know the girl's name?" Gwen asked. "Did the two of them arrive together or did they meet in the club? Is she a regular? Would any of the other staff know her?"  
"I don't know!" The man snapped. "We get hundreds of people here every weekend! We don't keep tabs."  
"Thanks for your help." Captain Jack said. We've got all we need."

"What are you talking about?" Gwen asked as the man left. "We haven't got a clue. We don't even know her name."

I was beginning to worry as we returned to Torchwood. I wanted to tell Mum about what happened, but I didn't want to get the rest of the team suspicious.

"So, what's this supposed to do?" Gwen asked.  
"I'm using satellite tracking data to determine the inward trajectory of the meteorite."  
"He means he's trying to find out where it's come from." Tosh said.  
"Hey, sometimes a little techno-babble is good for the soul."  
"So this is like a route planner?"  
"Not far off." Tosh said.  
"Rhys, my boyfriend, he's a transport manager. He does this sort of stuff, on a slightly smaller scale, though."  
"You only mentioned about him yesterday." Tosh said.  
"Yeah, I know. Have you got a boyfriend?"  
"Don't have time with this job."  
"What about you, you seeing anyone?" Gwen asked Owen.  
"You've gotta be joking! I can get all the grief I need here."  
"None of you have partners? No family or anything?"  
"Saying about having no family goes a bit too harsh." Owen said. "And you are the only one with a partner, newbie. Besides, Shyla just lost the only family she had yesterday. How do you think she'd be feeling when you said that she had no family?"  
"I wasn't talking about Shyla!"  
"But you made it sound like it." I ran off. "Now look at what you've done. She's off."  
"I'll go after her."

I ran to the lockers. It was the only place I felt close to Mum. I just couldn't hold it in. It was too much. "Shyla?"  
"Stay away from me, Gwen!" I yelled, turning to face her.  
"Shyla, I'm sorry. Please, just hear me out-"  
"It's because of you Mum's dead! If you didn't turn up at Torchwood the night before, then she'd still be alive."  
"But you wouldn't know that because she wiped her files before she left. Please, just calm down. I'm sorry. There was nothing I could do. Suzie had decided to shoot herself; no one forced her to do it. It was her own choice." Gwen then changed the subject.  
"I'm not trying to be rude or anything, Shyla, but how do you switch off from all this stuff? What do you do to relax?"  
"I mostly read. It helps me when… when things get tough."  
"I understand. Come on." She took my hand and we went to join the others, who were working in the laboratory.

"Gas traces confirmed as vorax and ceranium." Tosh reported.  
"Great, my two favourite gases." Captain Jack muttered. "Can we do a check and find out what we know about them?"  
"I'm all over it." Owen answered.  
"You feeling better now?" Gwen asked me.  
"Yeah," I answered. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have blamed you. But, thank you."  
"What for?"  
"I know it's only been a day, and I do miss her, of course. But, you helped me to talk about it."  
"More like yell."  
"Yes, that too." I laughed.  
"But, if you ever need to talk, I'm here."  
"Thanks."

Tosh, Owen and Jack were working on trying to find the girl from the CCTV footage. I sat down at my desk and began to read. Gwen joined me. "What are you reading?"  
"Just a sci-fi fantasy novel." I answered. "I asked Owen if he wanted to read it a few weeks ago and he refused."  
"Oi, at the time, your mum was beating me up, so it's no wonder." Owen argued. "Besides, I'm not one for reading."

Gwen joined the others and suggested cross-referencing the CCTV with the addresses of the remaining face matches. "Good one, newbie, that's a bit more like it." Owen said. Ianto got to work with looking through the suspects.  
"Found her." He reported.  
"SUV, now!" Captain Jack yelled. We ran towards the car.

Once we were outside Carys' house, Jack made sure that we were all putting on protective clothing and gas masks. Jack and Tosh burst into the living room using the front door. Myself, Gwen and Owen used the back door. Everyone was pointing guns at her except Gwen and the postman. "What's going on?" He asked.  
"Put your trousers on and get out." Jack said. "Now!" The postman did as he was told. "It always breaks my heart to say those words." Owen ran up the stairs. Tosh taken out a device and it beeped.  
"Air quality is okay." She reported. We took our gas masks off. Carys made a dash for it.  
"Gwen, Shyla, look out!" Captain Jack yelled.

Carys got to the stairs and would have run out the door if Owen hadn't thrown a device onto the floor. In all my years working at Torchwood, I couldn't identify it. "What's that?" Gwen asked my question before me. A sort of bubble shielded Carys from us and the rest of the world.  
"It's a sort of inflatable cell." Owen informed us. "Power runs down after an hour, though. The battery's life's bollocks."  
"Who said you could use that?" Captain Jack asked.  
"Erm, I just stopped a prisoner from escaping?"  
"You know the rules, none of that stuff leaves the building without my express permission."  
"Fine, don't thank him." I snapped.  
"At least someone's standing up for me." Owen said. Captain Jack used his device to lower the force field. Once it was lowered, Gwen went through with Carys to her room. I helped her to get dressed before Gwen attached some handcuffs on and we left the house.

When we got back to the hub, Gwen didn't know what she had to do. She was told to see what she could find out from her. When Gwen said she didn't know what to do, Jack replied by saying: "Usually better you don't say that in front of the prisoner." Jack answered.  
"I'll help you." I said. We lead Carys down to the vaults.

Once we were there, we had to lock her into one of the cells. Carys turned to look at us. "Are you MI5?" She asked us. Gwen couldn't look at her in the eye. I shook my head. "Where am I? What do you want?"  
"I think you know, Carys." Gwen said.  
"How do you know my name? I've never been in trouble. What do you want from me?"  
"I know there's something living inside of you." Gwen told her.  
"And we know what it made you do." I added. "His name was Matt Stevens."  
"His parent's lost their only child at 3:07 this morning." 

Carys screamed. When she walked, she seemed different. She looked at little possessed. "You broke my ship."  
"Come on, then. Where are you from, and why are you trying to invade Earth? Because you can forget about enslaving us."  
"Who said anything about enslaving?"  
"Well, that's what you lot do. Aliens. Isn't it?" Gwen asked as I walked away.  
"No. I just want the energy, the climax."

I was up with the rest of the Torchwood team. Owen checked one of the computers he was working on. "Hello. Happy Birthday me." I went to see what was so interesting, and I saw Carys kissing Gwen. "Oi, you lot. Treat." Jack and Tosh came over to have a look.  
"Well." Tosh said.  
"Wow." Jack said.  
"Thought she had a boyfriend." I said, confused.  
"You people and your quaint little categories." Jack said.  
"We should really get her out." Tosh said.  
"Yeah." Captain Jack said. "I mean, yeah, come on." He and Tosh ran into the vaults. I stayed where I was. Maybe now was a good time to tell Mum about this? "Just record a bit first." Owen said. Soon, Carys stopped kissing Gwen.

"So who's for Chinese?" Ianto asked.

We were soon sitting round a table laughing. "She says… she said, 'If I'd known what he was, I never would have married him.'" Jack said.  
"She knew." Tosh said. "She knew all along."  
"She didn't care." I added.  
"Until he started leaving black piles of mucus in the bathtub." Ianto said.  
"Always a big giveaway." Owen said.  
"Aliens have no sense of household hygiene." Jack added. "Which reminds me… gotta pee." When Jack left, the rest of the Torchwood staff asked Gwen about Captain Jack. I wasn't paying much attention. When Jack came back, I still wasn't paying attention. I could hear Carys crying, but I wasn't paying attention. Eventually, Gwen got my attention.

"You've been hidden down here too long. Spending so much time with the alien stuff, you've lost what it means to be human."  
"So remind us." Captain Jack told her. "Tell me what it means to be human in the 21st century."  
"All right."

I helped Gwen print out a profile about Carys. "I thought that you wouldn't help me. You were so mad at me for your mother's death."  
"It's not your fault. It was her own decision."  
"So, what was your life like?"  
"Why are you asking?"  
"Just interested."  
"I had a really good friend when I was younger. She used to live in London. She was adopted by someone. She knew who her real mother was. Trouble was that she was always popping in and out of her life."  
"Do you think you'll see her again?"  
"I doubt it, but I hope so." I helped Gwen stick up what she found out about Carys.

"Carys Fletcher, born 13th of November, 1987." I told Captain Jack.  
"School reports, personnel files from a temping agency, swimming badges from when she was six, reports of her mother's death in a car crash when she was ten. And last year's emails discussing the relative merits of Orlando Bloom and Heath Ledger." Gwen added.  
"Why have you done this?" Captain Jack asked.  
"This isn't about meteorites or gasses." I began. "We have a trapped girl and we have to save her."  
"When I was with her in the cell, Carys told me that she was losing. We have to find a way to keep her fighting. Remind her to hold on to who she is." There was a long pause. "Have I got something on my face?"  
"No." Jack answered. "Just… it's brilliant. You are brilliant. Both of you."  
"Thank you." We chorused.  
"So I think we should bring in her dad." Gwen said.  
"You're kidding, right?" I asked.  
"We've gotta find something to connect with her, make her fight back."  
"Our priority is to contain the alien threat, not put civilians in a cell with it." Jack argued.  
"We should be helping her."  
"When there is no…"  
"If we don't, who will, Jack?"  
"Are you always this awkward?"

"You should take a look at this." Tosh reported.

"This is the normal chemical composition of the air in that cell." Tosh said, showing us on her computer screen. "And these readings are from the last hour." The air looked a little haywire. "The alien's secreting an ultra-powerful blend of airborne pheromones. Sex pheromones. A thousand times more potent than anything we'd normally experience."  
"She's a walking aphrodisiac."  
"I did wonder why I… Actually, I sort of snogged her."  
"We know." Myself, Jack and Tosh chorused.  
"Now, still want to put her father in the cell?" Jack asked Gwen.  
"God, no, we can't let any man near…"  
"Owen." I had just realised that Owen was missing.

We ran down to the vaults. Owen was standing Carys' cell, naked. "Jack, Carys is out of her cell." Tosh said.  
"Cheeky girl took my swipe card." Owen said.  
"I'll deal with it." Jack said. And tell Owen he needs to work on those abs a bit harder." Gwen then opened the door. Owen walked out to join us.  
"I was taking some readings, you know, keeping an eye on her, and bang."  
"You got away lightly." I said. "Be thankful that she was only interested in your swipe card." I said.  
"Are you all right now?" Gwen asked. "Or are you still feeling a bit of a cock?" Tosh sniggered.

I ran up to the upper level with Tosh and Gwen. We ran out into the bay and tried to follow Carys. Tosh and Gwen lost sight of her, but I soon found her. I gave chase. Quickly, I lost her. The three of us returned to the hub.

"After all I said, a severed hand is more important to you than Carys' life." Gwen said.  
"You want to prove yourself? Find her. Get your old pals in the police to do something useful for once."  
"All right, I'll give them a call. Put out an APB. Woman possessed by gas knobbing fellows to death."  
"Oi. You better get in here." Owen said. At least he now had his clothes on again. I was about to follow them. "Not you, Shyla. This may be inappropriate for you."  
"But I'm fourteen!"  
"Still too young to see this." I sat down.

I picked up one of my books and began to read. The rest of the team were trying to find out where Carys was. I wanted to join in, but Owen warned me that it might not help, especially as there could be a few rude words. I listened out, but I couldn't hear anything.  
"We're going out." Jack reported.

They left me behind for a very long time. I was reading, writing a report. There was a squawk as Myfanwy came to join me.

The next morning, I was knackered. I wasn't able to get any sleep. I was worried for all of them. They arrived later that day. They said that the gas was dead, but Carys was all right. I smiled.

I went on a computer to see if I could contact my friend. All I knew was that she was stuck in 1882.  
"Still here?" Captain Jack asked us. Gwen was with me as well, taking down Carys' profile. "Everyone else is off doing… whatever it is they do when they're not here."  
"How long have you been there?" I asked. Jack shrugged.  
"What are you up to, Shyla?"  
"Yeah, I asked her the same question. All she told me was that she was trying to contact her friend who was in 1882."  
"That's because I am." I retorted. I checked. "No, can't get to her."  
"Do one thing for me, you two." Jack said. "Don't let the job consume you. You both have a life, perspective. We need that." 

"Who are you, Jack?" Gwen asked.  
"I'm sorry?" Jack asked.  
"You can't die," I explained. "You tell us that the 21st century is when it all changes. That we have to be prepared."  
"So you do."  
"But how can you know?" Gwen asked.  
"You think that knowing the answers will make you feel better?"  
"Who are you?" I asked. "What are you doing here?"  
"Go home, Gwen Cooper, Shyla Costello. Be normal. For me."  
"Shyla, do you want to come round tonight?" Gwen asked. I nodded.  
"I think I would enjoy some other company. I'll call Tosh."

"So I said, 'Those website employers have the sort of drivers who won't go out every bank holiday… I've had years of experience. I know the journeys, I've driven most of them, so I think I know the best way…'" He then noticed Gwen. "Am I boring you?"  
"Sorry."  
"Too grand to care about transport routes now, are we?" They then kissed.  
"Let's go to bed. Is it all right if Shyla can stay the night?"  
"Yeah, sure." Rhys said. "But, Shyla, you'll have to make do on the sofa."  
"Don't worry. I don't mind."

That night, I slept more peacefully since my mother's death. 


	4. Ghost Machine

Ghost Machine

Gwen and Owen were running after a boy, as Tosh detected that he had an alien artefact. I had to stay behind, but, if you know me, which I guess you don't really, then I'm not really one for staying where I'm put unless it's important. I sneaked out of the hub to see what I could do to help.

I soon found him after a **lot** of running around. I chased him. He ran into a train station. I grabbed hold of his hoddie. The boy got away. I was standing there, holding his jacket. "Shyla did it!" Gwen yelled. I looked in the boy's hoddie and found something alien. It seemed to be beeping. I accidently pressed the button in the middle.

Suddenly, everyone was gone. I could hear a steam train approaching. I turned to see a boy, not much younger than me. It looked like he stepped out of World War 2. "Hello." I said. "Who are you? Can you hear me?"  
"I want to go home." The boy's voice echoed. I saw his label. It said _Tom Erasmonus Flamagan_. "No one knows who I am here. I'm lost." Tom explained.  
"Come back." I whispered. Tom was walking away. "Come back." Suddenly, Tom disappeared.

I heard the sound of someone running. "Sorry. That gate cut us off." Jack said. "Shyla, are you all right?"  
"I've just seen a ghost."

I used the device again when I was outside Torchwood. Jack, Owen and Gwen didn't notice that I stayed behind at the water tower. I pressed the button again.

There was someone in the shadows. I looked closer, to see if I could tell who it was. There was no need. That person was coming out into the light. I gasped in shock. She turned to face me. "Hello again. You were right. You told Jack we should liaise which the police. I was the only one who bothered so… I was the only one who saw the report." She pulled out the three bladed knife. I was scared. "They got a good likeness."  
"I'm arresting you for… How do I know you?" Gwen was standing right behind me. Could they see me?

"Shyla?" Everything snapped back to present day. Gwen was there. "Are you all right?"  
"I saw another ghost. This time, it hit more closer to home. I want to see her." I cried.  
"Calm down, Shyla. Calm down. What did you see?"  
"Mum. She was there. She had the three bladed knife. And I felt so scared." Gwen hugged me as I cried.

"Shyla's had a bit of a rough night." Gwen told them. "She just needs to get some sleep."  
"No. She's staying here until she can give us a good answer."  
"But I told you, I saw Tom Flamagan at the train station. And again, just now, I saw-"  
"Who did you see?" Owen asked. I shook my head.  
"You pushed this button and that caused these apparition moments?" Jack asked. I nodded.  
"Yeah."

Jack was about to press it. "Jack, no!" Toshiko yelled.  
"Jack, please don't…" I began.  
"As if!"  
"But that's how it felt. Like an apparition. A ghost."  
"Toshiko, where do we start?"  
"I think that first off, Shyla needs a good night's sleep."  
"I'll take her back to my place." Gwen offered.  
"Thank you, Gwen."

As Gwen drove me back to her place, I talked to her a little. "Gwen, do you think that people can come back without the use of the glove?"  
"I don't think so, Shyla. Why are you asking me this?"  
"Because I miss her. I thought I was okay, but then tonight… It's just too much."

The next morning, Rhys asked me if I wanted to stay at his for the day. Gwen said that she'd sort it out with Tosh. She also whispered in my ear not to tell him about the proper job I do. Gwen also dropped by to drop my things off as well, some clothes, my books, stuff like that, as I asked if I could stay. Gwen and Rhys agreed. Their flat had two bedrooms, so I would be using the guest room. "We'll get you some nice things for your room over the weekend." Rhys told me. "Make it a bit more personal."  
"Thank you, Rhys."

After a few hours, Rhys called Gwen. "Hi."  
"Gwen? Er, I'm just putting a wash on. You got any whites need doing?"  
"I don't know. Just leave it. I'll sort it out."  
"Oh, no, no, it's no trouble. Just remind me, which drawer do the tablets go in?"  
"Oh, just leave it."  
"Okay, then. So are you in or out tonight?"  
"I don't know."  
"Again?"  
"I'm sorry?"  
"What I'm asking is you in or out tonight?"  
"I don't know."  
"Gwen, I can live with all the Secret Squirrel stuff, but if you can't even tell me if you are coming home…"  
"Well, nagging isn't helping."  
"Right. Well, that's me told."  
"Oh, Rhys…"  
"Well, I'm not staying in on the off-chance. I'll take Shyla to the shops. I saw some DVDs yesterday I thought she might like. We need to get stuff that is appropriate for her if she's staying. You do what you want." Rhys hung up on her. He walked over to me.

"Do you fancy going into town tonight?" Rhys sat down beside me.  
"Yeah, I'll like that." I smiled.  
"Shall we see what's on TV?" Rhys switched the TV on. It ended up getting turned off. We began to unpack my things, when Rhys came across a photograph.

"Is this your mum?" I looked at the photograph.  
"Yeah. She died a few days ago. It was her decision. I do miss her, but I try not to dwell on it." We continued unpacking in silence.

"Do you fancy getting a pizza?" Rhys asked.  
"Yeah, sure."  
"Then we'd better get going. Come on." I grabbed my coat.

I had a lot of fun with Rhys. We first went to get some pizza. "I know these amazing DVDs I'm sure you'll like, Shyla. Sci-fi fantasy. I've never seen it before, but I'm sure it will be a laugh. We'll get some stuff for your room as well, some posters, perhaps."

We were able to go shopping and get some posters, and the DVDs Rhys told me about. "We'll get your room redecorated in a few days. You could help."  
"I'd love to."  
He finally took me to a toy store.

"I know I don't really understand girls, but I thought you might like it here."  
"Thank you for bringing me here, Rhys."  
"That's all right." He handed me a ten pound and a five pound note. "Use this as you like."  
"Are you certain?"  
"Of course. You're one of us now. We'll treat you like an equal." I nodded.

"What have you found?" Rhys asked, grinning.  
"Look." I had shown him a soft toy brown bear. For some reason, I always liked bears.  
"Well, if you can afford him, you can have him." I looked at the price. He was £9.99.

When we got back, Gwen was there. "Hiya." Rhys said. "We decided to come back at little earlier so that Shyla could get some sleep." I headed into my room and closed the door. Sitting down on the bed, I pulled out my bear. Rhys and Gwen came through.

"He's beautiful." Gwen said.  
"That was exactly what I said." Rhys said. "And she still hasn't given him a name. Mind you, I'm rubbish at that."  
"He looks a bit like a Rex."  
"Rex. It suits him." I said. "Thank you, Gwen."

I asked for another day off the next morning. I was still suffering a little, and Rhys suggested that we began to decorate my room. We went into town again to choose the paint. I had chosen a light blue. We moved the furniture out. "You'll have to sleep on the sofa again." Rhys said.  
"I don't mind." We began to paint the room, listening to music, joking and laughing. We were having a great time, but Gwen didn't turn up.

At dawn, I walked into Rhys' room. "Gwen still not back?" He murmured, sleepily.  
"Not yet."

Gwen turned up while we were painting my room. Soon, she was helping us paint the room.


	5. Cyberwoman

Cyberwoman

There was shouting in the Torchwood hub, as well as Hip Hop music playing. We were all playing basketball when Ianto arrived. "Gwen, this is for you, baby." Owen said. We were running round the room, trying to get the ball Myfanwy _nearly_ got the ball at one point. We were all having a great time. "First round's on you, boss. Girls, get your hand bags." Owen said. Ianto finally was able to get in.  
"Of course, that was an illegal move." I said.  
"Totally illegal." Tosh said, annoyed.  
"Yeah. Keep telling yourself that, yeah? Losers. Bye!"  
"Whatever." Jack said. He passed the ball to Ianto as we left.

I walked towards the water tower, and, to be honest, I thought I saw someone familiar. Long, black hair. Olive skin.  
"He's never seen a live rugby match." Gwen said.  
"I have other things to do with my time." Jack said.  
"Rhys knows a bloke whose cousin works at the Millennium Stadium. We should all go to the next home international."

"And she said, 'Do you know how difficult it is to find a man in this city? He had a nice flat, all his own hair, so frankly, a couple of tusks I can live with.'"  
A phone beeped.  
"Ianto's mate." Owen said.  
"UFO sightings over Cardigan Bay. Seven calls to emergency services." Tosh reported.  
"Can we at least finish our drinks, please?" Owen moaned.  
"Sure." Jack said. "Take ten seconds." Owen just walked off. We decided to return to the hub.

"All I'm saying is, once in a while, I'd like to drive." Tosh said.  
"And all I'm saying is no." Owen argued.  
"Why not?" I asked.  
"I've shared cars with women before. I know what will happen. There'll be an emergency, we're all raring to go, I jump in, what do I find? Seat's in the wrong position, the rear-view mirror's out of line. The steering wheel's in my crotch. In the time it takes to sort it all out, aliens will have taken Newport." Jack laughed.  
"What about rota?" Gwen asked. "Different people drive on different days."  
"We're a secret organisation hunting alien technology from an underground base, and you want a rota for who drives."  
"Just trying to help." We all walked through into the hub.

"Tosh, call up the radar within a 50-mile radius of the bay for the last six hours." Captain Jack said. "Gwen, check with that man, Neil I think his name was, voice like Sean Connery at Jodrell Bank. See if they picked up any chatter around the time of the sightings. Owen, access the airspace provision over Cardigan Bay. Also any RAF flight plans, see if it's just a case of mistaken identity." That was when Ianto arrived.

"You all right?" I asked.  
"Yeah, fine." Ianto answered. I got back to my book.

"Shyla!" Jack called from his office. I walked over to him.

"Have you seen this woman recently?" He pulled out a picture of the person I saw at the water tower.  
"Yes, I saw her today. Why?"  
"I need you to keep a close eye on her. If she starts acting strange, then tell me."  
"Certainly, Captain." I went to a computer and tried to find her on CCTV.

"What's happening?" Gwen asked.  
"Internal power drain." Tosh reported.  
"What's causing it?" I asked.  
"Something big to drain that amount of power." Jack answered. "Tosh, run a system diagnostic."  
"Actually, we've been having generator problems all evening. I was down there checking earlier. A couple of cabling have come lose. I thought I'd fixed it. Let me have another look."  
"Fine. Go check." Jack said.  
"Want some help?" Gwen asked.  
"I'm fine." Ianto replied.

"That's a UFO?" Gwen asked.  
"Only just." Owen answered.  
"Arkan leisure crawler. First generation. Collector's item. Don't see many of those around these days. Tosh, send a polite message saying, 'Great to see them, but could they please get out of our atmosphere? They're spooking the locals."  
"Done." Tosh said.  
"Shouldn't we be apprehending it? Investigating it?" Gwen asked.  
"Oh, please. You interrogate an Arkan, you'll be in there for a month. And that's just the first question. They are so boring. Besides, they're mostly made of liquid. The cells would be a mess." The lights flickered.

"There it goes again." Owen said.  
"Ianto, we've got another dose of darkness. You find anything? Ianto, I need to hear those beautiful Welsh vowels."  
"Power's draining to the storeroom at the bottom of the building. I'm looking for human heat signals. We've got…"  
"Two signals." I concluded, confused.  
"So assuming one's Ianto…"  
"Who's the other one?" Gwen asked.  
"I'm thinking we're under attack. Security's been breached. We assume battle protocols."  
"That's impossible." Tosh said. "Nobody can get in without tripping seven separate alarms."  
"Yeah? It looks like our system needs to be upgrading." Jack said.

"I'll head down and look for Ianto." Owen said.  
"I'll come with you." Gwen said.  
"You all right with that?" Owen asked Jack.  
"Keep your comms open at all times. Any doubt, shoot first. The priority is to find Ianto." I went with Owen and Gwen once Jack handed me a gun.

"What's down here?" Gwen asked.  
"Normally?" I asked.  
"Nothing." Owen answered.  
"Progress report." Jack said.  
"Signs of activity in the storeroom." Owen said.  
"We're going in to have a look." I said.  
"Whatever that power source is, it's interfering with the comms." Tosh said.

"Jack." Owen began. "Tosh."  
"No comms." Gwen reported.  
"We're on our own, then." I said.  
"What the hell is going on?" Owen asked. I looked through the window.  
"What's going on?" Gwen asked.  
"Can't see well enough." Owen said. "There's something in there. There's some kind of operating table. Get the bolts." Gwen unlocked the bolts. Owen unlocked the door.  
"Okay?" I asked.  
"Yup." Owen answered. "Okay. One, two…" He burst the door open. 

"Oh no." I whispered.  
"Oh, no, no, no." Owen said.  
"What is it?" Gwen asked.  
"It's wrong." I said. "It's beyond wrong. It shouldn't be here. Turn the thing off. Turn it off!" Gwen quickly turned it off.  
"These things brought down Torchwood One." Owen explained. "They were all destroyed. Why is there one in our basement?"  
"Just tell me what it does."  
"It's the remnants of a conversion unit. This machinery turns humans into Cybermen."

"If I don't hear something within thirty seconds, I'm coming down there." Jack said.  
"Jack, it's Shyla. The comms dropped out. We're back on-line now."  
"Any sign of Ianto?"  
"No." Owen answered. "But we have found parts of a cyber conversion unit, fully powered up and working."  
"This is no time to be kidding around, Owen."  
"I'm deadly serious. I don't know why it's here or how it got here, but that's what's draining our power. Jack, are you there?"  
"I want you three back up here immediately."  
"We still haven't…" I began. Something knocked me over mid-sentence. It was a woman made of metal and flesh.  
"Jack. Code zero incursion. Repeat, code zero incursion. We're under attack." Gwen said. The woman turned to face Gwen. "Whatever you… whoever you are, I don't mean you any harm, but come any closer, I'll shoot." The woman knocked the gun of her hands. She grabbed Gwen by the throat.  
"Let me go."  
"Do not struggle. You will be like me." She put Gwen in the conversion unit. It was activated.

"Throw down your weapons. Put your hands up and turn to face me!" Jack yelled.  
"You're a woman!"  
"Owen! Jack! Shyla!" Gwen yelled. Jack shot; but Ianto pushed him into the wall.  
"You don't know what you're doing!" He cried.  
"You are fighting the wrong guy!"  
"Get me out of here someone, please!" Gwen yelled. "Switch it off!"  
"I'm trying!" Ianto yelled. "She's jammed the circuits. Shut off the power everywhere!"  
"Toshiko, cut off the power in the base!"  
"If I do that, the base goes into lockdown. We'll be trapped!"  
"Just do it!"  
"Switch it off! Do it!"

The power turned off.

"Gwen?" Owen asked.  
"I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine. Sort of. Jack, please get me out of here."  
"It's all right."  
"Where is she? Where did she go? Please tell me you got her."  
"Stand guard by the door." Jack instructed Ianto.  
"I'm sorry." Ianto told her. "I'm really sorry."  
"What for?" Gwen asked.  
Ianto left.

"Let's just get out of here." Jack used his vortex manipulator to release Gwen.

"Clear?" Jack asked.  
"Clear." Ianto confirmed. We began to head upwards. Suddenly, the Cyberwoman was in our path. Gwen gasped.  
"There she is. What is she?"  
"Some form of Cyberman. They're us, upgraded. Humans with emotions removed, created on a parallel world that's supposedly destroyed on this one."  
"What are we going to do?" I asked.  
"I don't know." Jack answered. The Cyberwoman walked away.

"She's gone." Ianto whimpered. Jack pointed his gun at Ianto.  
"Get us back to the Hub."  
"Jack, what are you doing?" I asked.  
"Resisting the urge to shoot."

Soon, we were back in the Hub. "Tosh! Get everything from the weapons room. Fast as you can!" Jack yelled.  
"It's locked down. There's no manual override."  
"Just open the store! On your knees. Hands above your head." Ianto did as he was told.  
"Jack, for God's sake, what are you doing?" Tosh demanded.  
"Tosh! I gave you an order! Gwen, help her. Did you know that thing was down here?"  
"I put her there."  
"You hid a Cyberman within Torchwood, and you didn't tell us? What else are you keeping from us?"  
"Like you care. I clear up your mess. No questions asked and that's the way you like it. When did you last ask me anything about my life?" Jack put his gun away. "Her name's Lisa. She's my girlfriend."  
"Why didn't you tell us?" I demanded. "We could have helped you."  
"Torchwood exists to destroy alien threats. Why would I tell you about her?"  
"A little loyalty, perhaps?" Owen asked.  
"My loyalty's to her." Ianto answered. "She worked for Torchwood. She was caught up in battle. I owe it to Lisa. We owe it to her to find a cure."  
"Ianto, you have to believe me." Jack said. "There is no cure. There never will be. Those who are converted stay that way. Your girlfriend will not be the exception."  
"You can't know that for sure."  
"Look, you need to know what's happening here because this is where these things start. Small decisions that become mass slaughter. These creatures regain a foothold by exploiting human weakness. Then they take a base, rebuild their forces, and before you know it, the cyber race is spreading out across the universe, erasing worlds, assimilating populations, all because of the tiny beginnings here. We need to stop her. Together."

Ianto stood up sadly. "You're not listening to me. The conversion was never complete."  
"She already tried to kill Gwen. You think she's going to stop there? There's no turning back for her now."  
"I'm not giving up on her. I love her. Can you understand that, Jack? Haven't you ever loved someone?"  
"You need to figure out whose side you're on here, because if you don't know, you're not going to make it out of this alive." 

"There's no way this weapons store is going to open." Owen said.  
"It's going to take six hours for the power to come back on-line." Tosh added.  
"Let me talk to her. I can still save her, save all of us. She's not a monster." That was when Lisa appeared.

"Ianto!" Gwen yelled. Ianto was walking towards Lisa.  
"Lisa!" Ianto said. "It's me."  
"You can't just let him go…" I began. Jack shushed me.  
"The army will be rebuilt from here. This building is suitable." Lisa said.  
"Who are you?" Jack asked.  
"Human.2."  
"No!" Ianto said. "Lisa!"  
"So how come you look like Human.1?" Jack asked.  
"I do not understand."  
"Look at yourself. Go ahead."  
"Remember, Lisa. Remember who you are." Ianto told her.  
"The upgrade is incomplete."  
"You're still human."  
"I am… disgusting. I have… I am… wrong."  
"We can help you."  
"I must start again. Upgrade properly."  
"For God's sake, have you heard yourself? Lisa, please. I brought you here to heal you so we could be together." Lisa looked at him.  
"Together. Yes. Transplant my brain into your body. The two of us together, fused. We'll be one complete person. Isn't that what love is?"  
"No."  
"Then we are not compatible." Lisa was strangling Ianto! She threw him into the water. 

"Run! Shyla, run!" Jack yelled. I raced off, not daring to look back. However, we were, of course, locked in. We raced into the meeting room. "She's coming after us." Gwen said.  
"Well, there's a surprise." Owen said.  
"Could you be any less helpful?" Gwen shot at him.  
"Oi! I just helped you escape."  
"Shut up, both of you! Okay, now, this is a fight to the death." Jack said. "We do whatever is necessary to destroy her. Forget what Ianto said. That thing is not human. Clear?"  
"Yeah." Myself, Gwen and Tosh said.

Captain Jack placed something down in front of me. "What's this?" I asked.  
"Something Suzie scavenged last year. She claimed that it could open any lock in forty five seconds. I want you and Tosh out the exit gates, up the emergency stairs to the reception."  
"They'll never open that door without power." Owen said. "That thing weighs a ton."  
"Anyway, I'm not leaving you here." I argued.  
"I promised your mum that I'd protect you!" Jack yelled at me. "Just do as I say. All of you! Once in reception, panel next to the desk, pull it out. Take circuit 357 from the main system. Patch it to these." He handed us something cylinder. "There should be enough power in there for what we need. Once the main circuit goes live, get out. Meet us by the water tower. Go!" Myself and Tosh left them. We got to the gates. I put the device on it. The Cyberwoman was heading our way!

"Come on!" I said.  
"This building belongs to me now. You will all be deleted."  
"I'm sorry for what they did to you, but this ends here." The Cyberwoman electrocuted Jack.  
"Jack!" Gwen yelled. Owen grabbed hold of her. The Cyberwoman turned to us. The device beeped. The gate was unlocked. We pulled it open and shut it behind us before the Cyberwoman could get to us.

Jack got up again. "How did he survive that?" Owen asked.  
"Is that all you got?" Jack asked. " I'm not so easily deleted." The Cyberwoman electrocuted Jack again.

The Cyberwoman turned back to us. I put the device next to the bolt door. "Come on." I whispered. The device beeped again. Tosh opened the door and pushed me through with the device.  
"Go!" She yelled. I ran up the stairs. Tosh was opening the door more, the Cyberwoman right behind her.

Up in the reception, I pulled out the panel next to the desk, searching for circuit 357. I quickly found it and took it out from the main circuit. I patched it into the cylinder thing and the main circuit began to go live. Tosh came to join me. "You were brilliant! You did that without any help!"  
"Remember what Jack said? We have to get out." We raced out of the door and began to run to the water tower.

"It worked!" Tosh yelled. "Shyla did it all by herself! What happened to…"  
"Don't." Jack said. Ianto punched Jack.  
"Oi!" Gwen said.  
"You could have saved her!" Ianto yelled. "You're worse than anything locked up down there. One day I'll have a chance to save you and I'll watch you suffer and die."  
"It was the only thing that would have stopped her!" Owen pushed Jack back.

"Listen, when I was at reception, I managed to trip the lockdown timer." I said. "The power should be coming back any second. We could get back in." Ianto ran off.  
"Ianto!" Jack yelled. "Ianto, stop!"  
"She can't have survived that attack." Gwen yelled.  
"I used my initiative. I'm sorry!" I yelled.  
"When I want you to think for yourself, I'll tell you." Jack yelled.  
"Maybe if you'd told me your plan, I wouldn't have done it." I answered back.

Ianto grabbed a gun and pointed it at us. "Ianto, don't be stupid." Gwen said.  
"I have nothing left to lose."  
"There's always something left to lose." I said. "I learnt it the hard way."  
"I'm going back in to save her. Anybody tries to stop me, I'll shoot them."  
"Ianto, put the gun down." Gwen said. Jack got hold of Ianto's gun and aimed it at him.  
"You make a threat like that, you'd better be prepared to follow it through. See? You disobey me now, I really will shoot you."  
"Get off me."  
"You want to go back in there? You go in to finish the job. If she's still alive, you execute her."  
"No way."  
"You brought this down on us. You hid her. You hid yourself from us. Now it's time for you to stand as part of the team."  
"Jack." I said.  
"The girl you loved has gone. Your loyalty is to us now."  
"You can't order me to do that."  
"You execute her, or I'll execute you both."  
"I won't do it. You can't make me. You like to think you're a hero, but you're the biggest monster of all."  
"I'm giving you ten minutes, then we're coming in. Pick it up." Ianto picked a gun up and headed into the Hub.

"How could you ask him…" Tosh began.  
"I don't need your opinion." Jack snapped.

"Stay here, Shyla." Jack told me about ten minutes later. They went down without me. I walked outside.

"Shyla?" It was Callum and Megan. "Are you all right?"  
"Sorry we haven't caught up with you since the other week." Megan said.  
"It's all right." I whispered. "At least you are here now."  
"We heard the news. About Suzie. Is it true?" Callum asked.  
"No. No, it's not." A voice answered. I turned. It was the same woman I saw at the water tower that day. "Hello again, Shyla Costello."  
"How do you know me?"


End file.
